Sunday, March 28, 2010

THACHER PARK NOT OUT OF THE WOODS YETAs long as the state legislature is in townwe are not safe.The weekend outing in the park wascancelled. Perhaps, organizers foundit hard to get a crowd on Palm Sundayweekend, and when Spring break isin full sway.Cautious observers would not count onThacher Park, and other parks andhistorical sites being spared.The Governor and State Legislature areavoiding dealing with the budget shortfalluntil after November 2 when they hope tobe returned to office by the voters.Even if they are not reelected a lame duckGovernor and State Legislature can be verydangerous.In either case, they might pass a budgetthat includes big tax increases and still closeThacher and other parks/historical sites.So, Thacher supporters - beware and alert.*********Margaret, Mick, Paddy and me spent bothweekend days roaming the woods. The snowwas gone from most fields and open spaces.However, in the woods, the snow was stilla foot or more deep. However, it was stillpossible to walk, without snowshoes, andwithout breaking through the surface snowwhich was still frozen enough to supportour weight.Saturday, was sunny, and the nicer of thetwo days. Sunday , South winds were gustingto 25-30 knots, and we had to be on the lookout for falling branches/trees.Nevertheless, we went to walk in the woodsbecause, in all probability the weather willwarm significantly later this week, and thatwill be the last of the snow, unless we havea Nor'Easter or a few lighter snowfalls inApril.So, our winter Transhumance is coming toand end. It was one of our best winters ever.Come Spring and Summer we will have to becontent with lowland walks and occasional journeys to the uplands of Delaware County.Our focus is now toward growing vegetablesand flowers.I planted potatoes, turnips, lettuce, spinachswiss chard, broccoli, beets and parsley inmid March during before the pleasantweather arrived with Spring.Carrots, parsnips are next to be plantedfollowed by pole beans, summer squashand cherry tomatoes when the weatherwarms.The raspberries are mowed and we arelooking forward to a good harvest Julythrough September.The Fall planted garlic is emerging.All the planting beds have been insulatedwith straw and leaves to protect the cropsfrom frosty weather than can occur untilmid May.

Add to this, excessive dumping of roadsalt, which drys and become airbornemixing with exhaust fumes of the growingvehicle traffic on neighborhood streets.Dying street trees are the canaries in oururban environment, but we are not payingattention.Health risk warnings are clearly postedon alcoholic beverage and cigarette labels.What about the lawns, sidewalks and streetswe tred? The air we breathe?Does Obamacare address these issues?How about personal responsibility?Joe Sullivan

THIEVES/VANDALSINCREASED ACTIVITYWITH WARMER WEATHERBe alert, observe and act when you spotpunks casing our hood, or hanging outat Buckingham Pond Park , Greenwayand Crestwood Plaza.Expect an increase in home/ car breakins and street robberies.Every resident of our neighborhood ispart of our neighborhood watch.Carry your cell phones, keyed in to theAPD Center Station 458 5660, whenyou are out and about walking yourpets, jogging or driving. Key in theAnti-Terror Hotline number too.Keep the above number, and NYS Anti-Terror Hotline number :1 866 SAFE NYS (723 3697) next to yourland line home phones.We have been warned to expect Al Qaidaattacks on the Home Front. They havealready occurred and more are in theworks.What are potential targets in our hood?Think, hospitals, schools, gas stationspower lines, natural gas line, water andsewer infrastructure, churches, synagoguesand more.Al Qaida, and related groups, attack atsymbolic times and places. Think Passoverand Easter.We have to crack down on domestic streetthugs, drug dealers and violent predatorsbecause they are the natural allies of theforeign terrorists, who are sworn to destroyus, our way of life and America.Here is the latest alert fom the APD:

Neighborhood Association Presidents and Addressees,

Please read and forward the following information to all of your members, students, employees and local businesses:

Broken Windows of Vehicles

Since Saturday, March 13th, there have been a number of incidents involving broken windows on vehicles. In all of the incidents, windows were broken, and in (9) of the incidents various electronic items were stolen. In (2) incidents, the methods of breaking the windows were determined to be a brick and a sparkplug. In (2) of the incidents suspects were described as 2 black males, 14-15 years of age, approx 5'4" and 140 lbs. Most of the incidents occurred during the evening hours.

Vehicle Safety Tipsü When parking your vehicle, be certain to lock your doors and windows.ü Secure your valuables. Thieves are frequently attracted to items such as GPS Systems, IPods, Cell Phones, Loose Change in Holders, Laptop Computers, etc. that are left exposed in a vehicle.ü When possible, please take any valuables with you.ü During night hours, please be certain to park your car in a well lit area.ü Have your key ready when you go back to your car.ü Do not leave your car running and unattended!

“If you see something, Say Something.”

Please report all suspicious person(s) or activities to the Albany Police Departmentat438-4000

Your neighborhood association and neighborhoodwatch works ....when you do.

Monday, March 15, 2010

BUCKINGHAM POND PARKThe trees have not begun to leaf out, yet.Dead trees, many of them large, stand outclearly, particularly when looking Southacross the pond from the North Shore.Many pose a hazard to people and petswho use the wooded paths on that sideof the pond on windy days.Dead trees are also clearly visible in thewooded Western side of the park borderedby Davis Ave.Now is the time to remove the dead treesdecayed limbs, vines and underbrush that isstrangling the younger trees.The newly formed Buckingham PondConservancy should have it's membersmarking vines and underbrush to becut and cleared, with orange ribbons.Young trees that form the next generationof mature trees, should be marked withgreen ribbons.Dead or severely decayed trees that presenta hazard to people and pets using the pathsshould be marked with red ribbons.Ideally, this should have been done beforethe weather turned warmer and the ticksbeneath the leaves began to hatch. Howverprevious posts on this site have been ignoredas have other specific recommendations toimprove Buckingham Pond Park.(See numerous posts in the archives of thissite)Members of the Conservancy and cityworkers who tend to the above tasksshould be alert to the presence of tickswhen working in the woods.Additionally, leaves and brush should becleared from alongside paths so that ticksdo not hitch rides on people and pets, whobring them back to homes and yards, thusspreading the risk of Lyme Disease andother diseases carried by ticks.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

EDUCATION, LEARNINGAND CITIZENSHIPEducation may be defined as a life long processof learning the knowledge and skills required tomake a living, to lead a satisfyinglife, to bea responsible, productive memberof society andan informed participant in theconstitutionalform of government which wehave inherited fromthe Founders of our nation.This definition fits our particular circumstances.

The definition of education for a bushman in theKalihari Desert would be differentwith moreemphasis on learning survival skills and stayingalive.Come to think of it, learning survival skills appliesto us as well.To become educated, one must want tolearn, makethe effort to learn and apply what is learned toone's life.The Albany school graduation rate is somewherebetween 49 and 51 percentdepending on whatsources one relies upon.Albany spends more per "student" whilehavingthe lowest graduation rate of any school districtin the Capital District.Perhaps, school property taxes should be indexedto student performance and graduation rates?A fifty percent decrease in school propertytaxeswould delight Albany City homeowners.The State Education Commissioner has warnedthat poor performing schools willbe closed.This is not the answer.The problem rests squarely with the "students"and their parent(s) who do notvalue learning and with an education curriculum that fails to prepare them to be responsible, productive members of society. The social services system and relatedgovernment programs, like Section 8housing ,enable and encourage thesebehaviors.

Graduation and diplomas have becomemeaningless. Endless testing and proccupationwith test scores is an exercise in futility.For learning to take place requires motivation,effort and application of that which is learned, by the learner.Permissiveness and lack of discipline in dysfunctional familiesand in schoolsand colleges yield predictableresults. Consider the behavior of college"students" locally:http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/storyprint.asp?StoryID=909861An educated person can be identified by his/herbehavior - not by how manyyears of schoolingor how many diplomasone has.Personal responsibility for one's behaviorisan attribute associated with being educated.Schools must offer a safe environmentforlearners who are motivated to learn.Those who are not motivated anddisciplinedlearners must be culled outand placed inalternative settings wherethey can learnknowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors that will enable them to become responsibleproductive citizens.Give them limited classroom sessions withmore vocational -life skill trainingincludingperforming public servicecleaning andrebuilding blightedneighborhoods,maintaining parksroads, bridges andrailroads, workingin hospitals or providing home healthcare for seniors.After a full day of learning and contributingthese learners will hit therack early ratherthan prowling the streetsbecominggangbangers, drug dealersdruggies, thieves,and violent anti-social malcontents whowind up incarcerated in prisons., or unwed teens who becomelifers in the government social servicessystem.A burgeoning dependent population thattakes from, but contributes nothing tosociety, can not be sustained in the hardeconomic times that have befallen ourcities, towns, counties, states and nation.Homeowners, small businesses, farmerscan not be expected to pay ever increasingproperty taxes to fund a failing educationsystem.

New York State Legislators and the Governormust enact real property tax relief now, andrevise the state educational curriculumrequirements to allow for more localcontrol and more innovative learning thatproduces productive citizens who are abenefit, rather than burden, to society.

SECTION 8 HOUSINGSLUMLORDS , BLIGHTAND BLIGHTERSSection 8 housing, slumlords, blight and blightersare destroying one neighborhood after anotherin the City of Albany.http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=908012&category=BUSINESS&TextPage=1The Park South urban renewal project dispersesthe blight and blighters up theNew ScotlandAvenue corridor into the 9th, 8th and 14th wards.This further erodes the city property taxbase bydriving homeowners to sell and move out.

Notice all the 4 sale signs?

The rational way to renew the city is tostabilize the uptown residentialneighborhoodswhich are the city property tax base, and work downtown securing oneneighborhood afteranother.Contain and eradicate blight neighborhoodby neighborhood, starting with saving theuptown residential and property tax base.

This is not unlike the surge strategy employedby the U S military in Iraq, and now inAfghanistan.Are we not fighting a war on blight andassociatedcrime on the homefront?Why are there no meetings of the Mayor's TaskForce to select a new Albany City Police Chiefbeing held uptown?Uptown residential neighborhoods pay thelion'sshare of the property taxes that support the policefire department and city schools.

The Uptown neighborhoods provided theMayor with his margin of reelection votes.

Are we being taken for granted?As uptown residents say nothing - they will getnothing in return for their tax dollars.Joe Sullivan